Gold Member

the best stuff out there is thai tan...or even the neutragena spray tanner. UNLESS you want to go to a salon for the mystic. The only bad thing about the mystic tan is that you have to wait 5 hrs before showering. The neutragena spray stuff you can shower after a few minutes... i wait at leat an hr tho if possible. I do what they call the double dip... Tanning bed then spray tan if I dont have to work or be somewhere and can wait out the 5 hrs...

I will always, always, ALWAYS recommend against tanning. My twin brother died from melanoma three years ago. Trust me...that's not how you want to go. Tanners might as well be death rays as far as I'm concerned. I used to always be in search of the killer tan, too, but I never really understood how much of a killer that tan can actually be.

Not trying to scare you or anything, just asking you to understand the risk you're taking on when you expose your skin to massive doses of ultraviolet light, natural or otherwise.

definately fake tan... luckily... well depends on the way u look at it... i tan easily and dont burn. yes it is true tanning is actually ur skin in trauma... i would count out tanning beds... for two reasons... firstly consentrated UV and IR radiation. the reason they work quicker than jus being in the sun is because there is a lot more focused on u in a given time...

secondly, tanning beds dry ur skin out and make you dehydrated and most people dont realise that. if ur skin is dry it doesnt really do the job its meant to

i would suggest spray on or the cream type... but word to the wise... dont go for a really tanned look str8 away... it looks weird if ur white one day and v tanned the next

Get the applicator mitt from the Body Shop (keeps your hands from turning orange) and exfoliate vigorously (I like the Body Shop coconut stuff, but anything gritty works) the day you use the spray or cream - it will make it look more natural. I'm very white, and I find the "gradual buildup" products like Neutrogena (where you're supposed to use it every few days for weeks until you're at your ideal color) give me the most natural look (I don't want to look tan, per se, I just want to look like I just got back from a great vacation.) You can cut other products with regular lotion to get a thin, even, light-looking layer, too.

Avoid UV. While you're young, a tanning-bed tan looks great, I admit, but the price you pay as you age from a lifetime of UV-A exposure (the tanning rays, not the burning ones) is written all over your face. And shoulders. And ears. Ick.

Gold Member

Right now, my fav is "Made in the Shade" by arbonne.com -- it's one of the few that contains a sunscreen, doesn't smell too nasty, nice color, easy spray, plus it develops SOME color within 2 - 3 hours, although best color is within 8 hours. I like to apply at night, then shower/touch up in the morning. Once a week or so keeps me looking good.

If you want to spray and go -- and have INSTANT color -- MagicTan is better than Mystic Tan, but the downside is that Magic Tan is a whole lot streakier on the feet/knees.

I use vinyl or latex gloves to apply the stuff -- that way, my palms aren't orange.

I freckle-tan, and cuz I don't love freckles, I stay out of the sun. Good move, because my skin looks waaaaaaaaay better than any other mom my age.

VerifiedGold Member

I know a lot of people think tanning is overly dangerous, but only in excess....all things are bad in excess. I suggest just jumping in the tanning bed and you are fine so long as you go gradual and don't burn. Burning is a sign of damage, a tan is your body's natural defense.

Gold Member

I know a lot of people think tanning is overly dangerous, but only in excess....all things are bad in excess. I suggest just jumping in the tanning bed and you are fine so long as you go gradual and don't burn. Burning is a sign of damage, a tan is your body's natural defense.

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I agree...moderation is the key. Out in Los Angeles or any other smoggy city... I think a tanning bed is actually better for you than the shit you get from outside tanning in a polluted area. Also, a majority of the people that deal with skin cancer or other sun related problems are the people that don't tan at all. You need to build up your natural defense against the sun or you will have MUCH more skin issues than those that do not.

As far as the dried out leathery people out there...yah thats overtanning. thats why I mix it up between self tanners and tanning natural/beds. So I'll be darker quicker and won't need to tan as often. And yes..for a redhead thats German/Cherokee decent...I am either very pale or have a nice tan. Some redheads cannot tan at all. OH to be olive skinned....sigh

VerifiedGold Member

I tan at a tanning salon either once or twice a week. I also use a self tanning lotion at times in between. If you start out slowly at the tanning bed you can build up gradually to the shade you want. Ask around to find a good Tanning Salon. The one I go to is very helpful and does both the bed and spray on. They have several different types of beds.

Gold Member

As a tan-a-holic for most of my life I have always loved lying out in the sun - some times all day - to achieve a rich golden tan - I grew up in an era where everyone spent all day outside without suncreens etc. in the hot aussie sun. Now I still sun bathe outside under the sun - but only for half the time I was used to. I now use an aussie product called 'TanMe Beautiful' deep bronze system. The thing I love about this product the most is it has no horrible fake tan smell!! Because I have a solid tan base, using the above mentioned product, gives me a rich deeper bronzing - natural looking tan which lasts for several weeks before I need to re-apply. So now I spend less time out in the full sun - can now retreat under a palm tree and know I will still be as tanned as when I would lie out in the sun all day.
Cheers to all you tan lovers!!